With the first week of February comes the first week of Black History Month, a time to celebrate the past, present, and future of the Black community! Be they icons of science, sports, civil rights, music, or everyday people who passed down a lineage of culture, this month is a time to give thanks and honor to the luminaries that have shaped not only Black history, but all of history.

Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Hairstory by Sope Martins, illus. by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

That Swingin’ Sound: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong by Rekha S. Rajan, illus. by Ken Daley

Black History is Your History by Taylor Cassidy, illus. by Adriana Bellet

Bold Words from Black Men: Insights and Reflections from 50 Notable Trailblazers Who Influenced the World by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli, illus. by Desire Cesar “El’Cesart” Ngabo

Spark: Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone by Ainissa Ramirez, illus. by Setor Fiadzigbey

Big thanks to Dutton Children’s Books, Penguin Young Readers, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Atheneum, Beach Lane Books, Denene Millner Books, SimonKIDS, MIT Kids Press, and Candlewick for sending us copies of these!